Nossa História
The Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) is the organization that represents the country's footwear industry, working in trade defense and in search of better competitive conditions for production in Brazil. Established in 1983, the organization, headquartered in the city of Novo Hamburgo (in the state of Rio Grande do Sul), has footwear companies of all sizes and from all Brazilian states among its members.
More than an institutional and political representative, acting continuously in defense of claims that are relevant to the industry, such as tax relief, credit expansion, labor reform, and logistical improvement, among others, nowadays Abicalçados also acts as a lever for sectoral qualification. In this context, the organization increasingly works focusing on the creation of a design culture that values Brazilian footwear not only for its materials but also for its distinguished development process, resulting in innovative, distinguished shoes from the aesthetic point of view.
Amidst the voracious competition of Asians, who stack national and international shelves with cheaper and cheaper products, impacted by external factors that hinder competitiveness, it is no longer enough for the domestic industry to manufacture shoes: it is necessary to create distinguished products, whose main competitive feature is not price.
Currently, several Brazilian companies already work to develop distinguished products, with high fashion and design appeal, even exporting with their own brands and making the Brazilian product recognized worldwide. With this in mind, the Brazilian industry has the support of the Brazilian Footwear, a program developed by Abicalçados in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) with the main goal of increasing the volume of Brazilian footwear exports.
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1983 Establishment of Adical, association of footwear companies of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with 30 members at the time.
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1990 Adical is renamed Abicalçados, changing its status from regional to national organization.
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1992 Aiming to train and qualify the footwear industry, Abicalçados holds the 1st National Seminar of the Footwear Industry with the theme "Competitiveness as a Result of Quality and More Productivity." In 2015, the seminar reached its 19th edition, with the theme "New Ways of Digital Communication."
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2000 Abicalçados signs the first agreement with Apex-Brasil to promote Brazilian footwear abroad, originating the Brazilian Footwear program.
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2005 Abicalçados files a representation with the Brazilian Government to seek the adoption of anti-dumping measures against Chinese footwear.
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2009 The Brazilian Federal Government provisionally creates the US$ 12.47 surcharge per pair imported from China. After six months, the measure is renewed for the five following years, now with its value corrected to US$ 13.85 per pair imported from that country. Since 2016, therefore renewed up to 2021, the surcharge amounts to US$ 10.22 per pair.
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2016 Aiming to launch the basis for the creation of new processes, business models, and products with embedded technology, Abicalçados joins other industry organizations (Abrameq, Assintecal, and CICB) and launches the program Future Footwear. The anti-dumping tariff against footwear imported from China was renewed, now worth US $ 10.22 per pair. Measure is effective until March 2021.
Profile of the brazilian industry
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Produced 763,7 million pairs in 2020.
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Exported 93,8 million pairs in 2020.
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Generated US$ 658,3 million with exports in 2020.
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In 2020, more than 170 countries buy shoes from Brazil.
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The main importer of Brazilian shoes is the United States, followed by Argentina, France and Paraguai.
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The Brazilian footwear park is made up of around 5,000 companies and directly generates more than 247,000 jobs.
